Muslims in Kerala celebrate Eid with religious fervour, traditional festivities

Thiruvananthapuram: The Muslim community in Kerala on Monday celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr with religious fervour and festivities, reinforcing the message of brotherhood, compassion and humanity.

Marking the culmination of the one-month-long fasting, the faithful thronged mosques and specially arranged Eidgahs across the state in the morning to offer prayers.

Huge participation of people, cutting across age and economic barriers, could be seen in Eidgahs, the open enclosures where mass prayers are offered, in northern districts of the state.

People could be seen hugging each other and exchanging pleasantries after the prayers in the mosques and Eidgahs.

Traditional feasts were prepared in Muslim houses across the state with an array of ethnic delicacies.

During the sermons at the mosques, religious leaders urged devotees to uphold values of compassion, fraternity and social harmony and live a life adhering to the values of Islam.

Unlike their usual religious messages, many clerics, during their address, voiced concern against social evils like drug consumption and urged devotees to take a strong stand against narcotic abuse.

At a mass prayer held in Kaloor in Kochi, a banner cautioning people against the drug menace was displayed.

Showcasing the message of religious harmony, an Eidgah was arranged at the ground of a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga at Kinassery in northern Kozhikode district.

At the mass prayer held in the capital district, Imam V P Suhaib Maulavi of the famed Palayam Juma Masjid here also urged the faithful to take part in the fight against the drug menace.

During his address, he also shared concerns against the passing of the Waqf Bill by the Centre.

He said as per the principles of the Holy Quran, waqf properties are to be handled by the faithful, but many references in the proposed bill stand against this.

The passing of the Waqf Bill would lead to the faithful losing the waqf properties, he said and alleged that it would give more chance for political parties to intervene in its management.

"So, the Bill is against the religious freedom exist in the country," he said, adding that those having a secular mindset in the country should voice their opposition to it.

Meanwhile, in the landslide-hit hamlets of Wayanad, the disaster survivors gathered at a local mosque and offered prayers and reminisced about the happy moments of the Eid they had with their loved ones in the past.

A villager said they all came to offer prayers at the Chooralmala mosque, as the one in Mundakkai had been severely damaged in the disaster that had rocked the hill district last year.

"Last year, we all celebrated the festival together. Many of them are not with us this time," another man said.

After the prayers, villagers went to a nearby graveyard where landslide victims were buried en masse.

The Kerala government had declared a public holiday for all state-run offices and educational institutions on Monday.